Like I said above, sometimes you just happen to be the person number x who is flouting/bending/unaware of the rules, which might account for some of the more irrational police calling threats/actions. I was once in a position where the new tenants of the restaurant below me would throw loud (water shaking in the glass on the table loud) parties until three or four am, generally in summer/before Christmas, which is exam season and the house is, after all, for students. I must have gone down there a dozen times in person (usually in my pyjamas but sometimes the day after) and only got aggro for it. I tried to negotiate a system where they give us a few days warning before they had one of these events so I could sleep elsewhere - no luck, they told me they didn't need to ask for permission, which is absolutely not what I was saying.

So after two years of this and yet again being kept awake the night before a really important exam, I did actually call the police. I felt really bad for joining the passive aggressive police callers, but they WERE breaking the law, I DID try to find a mutually agreeable solution beforehand and just go scorn for it. Also - I never complained about the noise from their garden terrace or the occasional bout of music after dark, even though that would also be against the law, after all, you live above a restaurant, you expect restaurant noise. You don't expect night club level subwoofers shaking your bed, making the PAMIR + Oropax combination utterly useless.

Like summerrain said, you have to think about how to sensibly comply with and sometimes adapt to the laws. But it can be frustrating when you are faced with "all the rights, none of the responsibilities" types who refuse to budge from their position. Still - asking nicely is always the way to go, I guess people are afraid of an aggressive reaction or losing face, so they don't do it.

In this case you obviously don't think you are in the wrong and seem to want to justify your wife's actions. So, really there's little point in the neighbour getting into an arguing match with you as you think you are in the right.

I wouldn't threaten to call the cops. I would call them. Your attitude sucks.

Where do you get that from? You're actually completely wrong. I was perfectly happy to park the car sideways, and had done so for several weeks before my wife had left the car the old way, once. This for some reason got the two of them into an argument.

But thanks for your input.

The above is what you wrote originally.

This is what you wrote after my post.

Sorry, but I don't possess physic powers. Others may do, but I don't.

As per threatening to call the police: I'd probably not do that. Certainly not before trying other ways. But if they do call them, the fine for "parking on the pavement where this is not clearly allowed (signs), without letting a passage of at least 1.5 meters" is 120 francs.

You do however, possess the power of sarcasm.

"My wife parks the car" can mean she does it all the time, or once. The English language flattens tense with aspect. If you're unsure, ask. No need to be rude.